Portrait of Erick De Sousa
i. Biography
Coming Up
The defining stretch of Erick De Sousa’s career was the management of Champagne De Sousa in Avize, a run that extended from 1986 to 2023. That kind of continuity is built in the field and carried through the cellar: seasons observed closely, decisions repeated with discipline, and a family property understood as both inheritance and daily work. As the third generation of the Champagne De Sousa family winery, he worked inside a lineage where stewardship was practiced, not stated.
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Where They Are Now
The estate-management role ended in 2023, closing a tenure that had been measured in decades rather than milestones. For Erick De Sousa, that span points to accumulated knowledge: the sort that comes from staying long enough to read a site through changing weather, familiar cycles, and the expectations attached to a house carried forward by generations.
Signature
Erick's signature wines include Tradition Brut, Extra-Brut Réserve, Brut Rosé, Mycorhize, and Umami. Taken together, these names show the range of work associated with Champagne De Sousa in Avize: the direct register of Tradition Brut and Extra-Brut Réserve, alongside the more distinctive profiles suggested by Brut Rosé, Mycorhize, and Umami. Read as a set, they sit within a house identity shaped by long practice rather than novelty.
In Their Words “Here, this afternoon, we use a silica to concentrate sugars and prepare for winter.” The sentence is plain, timed to the work, and specific to the moment. It reflects an approach built on observation and adjustment, where vineyard decisions respond to weather, season, and what the fruit asks for next.
FAQ
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The Sunday email
Read about winemakers like Erick De Sousa in the Sunday email.
Every Sunday we send a lead story and up to four more about the chefs, winemakers, sommeliers and hoteliers behind the restaurants, bars, wineries and hotels we cover.
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